Clutching Cinders

Clutching Cinders – Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq

The Prophet ﷺ has warned us, “A time will come upon the people, during which a person who remains perseverant and steadfast on his faith will be like one who is clutching cinders.” (Tirmidhi)

This prophecy of the Prophet ﷺ shows the believers that a time of great fitnah will come, where holding on to one’s own religion will be extremely difficult. The presence of fitnah is nothing new as Allāh has made it part of His sunnah to test every nation, especially the believers. This has been clarified in many verses of the Qurān.

What should a believer in order to safeguard their faith during these trying times? The concept of sabr is explained in detail along with remaining concerned with oneself; so that a person remains critical of themselves and not of others. This principle also applies to the company a person keeps and the rewards that are reserved for one who bears this difficulty.

Below are some of the timecodes and topics for this talk:

0:00 – Intro: Hadith of perseverance during fitnah

7:30 – Difficulty of perseverance for the believers

14:58 – Reason for Allāh testing the believers

20:30 – Having sabr in such times of fitnah

30:25 – Can we create a perfect world?

38:35 – Concerning oneself with oneself during times of fitnah

49:25 – Effect of company on a person

56:58 – Summary of how we should respond to fitnah and confusion